A Whiskey Lullaby
by ReedStoppable
Summary: Songfic to Brad Paisleys "Whiskey Lullaby"


**Whiskey Lullaby**

Ron Stoppable walked casually up the walk to the front door of the Possible home. He moved the bouquet of flowers he carried to the opposite arm, and pulled his key ring from his pocket. Using the spare key that he had been given years ago, he quietly opened the front door.

He walked in and shut the door behind him. He allowed himself a smile as he absorbed the familiar sights and smells of the house that had been his second home for so many years. He removed his shoes before treading across the carpet to the staircase. Even though the elder Possible's were out of town on business, he could almost hear Mrs. Possible reminding him to take his shoes off.

Ron padded softly across the carpet to the staircase that would lead him to his girlfriend, Kim Possible's loft. He and Kim had began dating two months ago. After years of fighting it, and telling themselves they were only friends, they had finally given into the feelings everyone else knew were there. One night, after a particularly difficult mission, Ron had taken Kim into his arms and told her how he felt. She had said nothing, but the tears in her eyes, and the passionate kiss had said more then words ever could.

Ron's smile faded as he thought back to the events that had separated them for an entire month. Kim and Ron had been celebrating their month anniversary at The Honky Tonk, a western styled restaurant that had recently opened in Middleton. In the middle of dinner however, Kim's Kimmunicator had gone off, drawing groans from both of them. To their surprise though, it wasn't a mission but a message, and a plea for Ron.

It came from Yori, the young girl Ron had befriended when he spent a week at the ninja school in Japan. Apparently the Sensei had been assassinated, and the sacred lotus blade stolen. The students had no leads, and none had a connection to the blade as strong as Ron did.

Reluctantly Ron had left for Japan the next day. It took some convincing, but Kim had allowed Ron to go by himself.

Ron shook his head as he neared Kim's room. Her door was open halfway, light pouring into the hallway. She could hear her giggling, and he smiled. It was good to hear her voice in person again. They had talked almost every day while Ron was gone, and for some reason Ron felt it had strengthened their bond. He felt closer to her then ever.

He finally reached her door, stopping just outside the doorway. She wasn't expecting him home until tomorrow, but he had been able to catch an earlier flight, and decided to come over and surprise her. Taking a deep breath, Ron walked into the bedroom.

"Hey K.P, I'm..." Ron's voice trailed off as a scene from a nightmare played out before his eyes.

Kim shot straight up in bed at the sound of Ron's voice. Her face quickly drained of all its color as she locked eyes with him. Next to her, a dark brown head of hair poked itself out from under the covers. The young man, who Ron did not recognize, said nothing, but sat there wide eyed.

"Ron..." Kim started meekly, pulling the fallen covers up to her chin, hiding her exposed chest.

_She put him out like the burning end of a midnight cigarette _

_She broke his heart he spent his whole life trying to forget..._

Ron looked at her for a moment longer, then dropped the bouquet to the floor, and turned and walked out. He raced down the stairs, and out the front door, completely forgetting his shoes. He ran as hard and fast as he could until his lungs burned for air and his legs ached for rest. He threw himself to the ground where he stopped, and began to sob uncontrollably.

"Why?" he muttered to himself in between sobs.

As if in response to his plea, a loud rumble filled the sky, and it began to rain on Middleton. Ron looked to the sky, the rainwater mixing with his tears. And from deep within his soul, Ron Stoppable let loose a near primal scream.

_We watched him drink his pain away a little at a time _

_But he never could get drunk enough to get her off his mind _

_Until tonight... _

Ron stared through blurry eyes at the near empty whiskey bottle in his hands. The bottle had replaced so much in his life over the last year. His family, school, several jobs, and of course Kim.

"Kim", Ron choked out through his slurred speech and hoarse voice.

He brought the bottle to his lips, and chased away the rest of its contents. The bottle fell to the floor as Ron rose from his chair. He walked across the grimy wooden floor of his one room apartment to his bed. He sat down on the edge, and picked up a faded photograph from the nightstand.

The picture showed Kim and Ron, at their senior prom, one week after they had started dating. They had their arms around each other's waists and their faces were pressed together, their mouths seemingly forming one large smile.

Ron opened up the nightstand drawer, and pulled a pen out. He turned the picture over, and began to write on the back of it. He looked at what he wrote, and smiled sadly. He knew it was to be true. He placed the picture face down on the nightstand, and pulled another bottle of whiskey from the drawer.

He finished the bottle in under a half hour, and before he passed out face down in his pillow, he thought of Kim, and what he had written on the picture.

"I'll love her 'till I die"

_He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger _

_And finally drank away her memory _

_Life is short but this time it was bigger_

_Than the strength he had to get up off his knees _

_They found him with his face down in the pillow _

_With a note that said I'll love her till I die_

_And when we buried him beneath the willow _

_The angel's sang a whiskey lullaby_

Ron's funeral had a surprisingly large turnout. For one who was so young, and so troubled recently, he had touched many lives. Yori and many of the students had come from Japan to show their respects. Several foreign delegates who had been recipients of Team Possible's help over the years came as well.

Ron's family, as well as the Possible's and several of his high school classmates were also in attendance. All watched in silence as one black clad figure made her way to the gravesite on top of the hill.

"Goodbye Ron. I love you always", Kim whispered as she laid a single rose on top of Ron's casket.

_The rumors flew but nobody knew how much she blamed herself_

Kim could hear the whispers as she made her way through the mourners at the conclusion of the services. She didn't need to hear them to know what was being said, and she wouldn't disagree with any of them.

"Her fault."

"You know what she did don't you?"

"Completely broke him."

She knew it was her fault. She had cheated on him. She was the one who turned away when he needed her the most. And when he fell deeper into the depression, she was nowhere to be found.

What had hurt Kim the most was the way the Stoppables had looked at her. A look of pure hatred, almost as if her being at the funeral was an insult. It was almost more then she could handle.

Kim climbed into her car, and opened the center console. She reached in and pulled out a half empty bottle of whiskey. She silently thanked God for tinted windows, and downed the remainder of the bottle. Popping two pieces of gum into her mouth, Kim put the car in gear and began the lonely drive home.

_For years and years she tried to hide the whiskey on her breath_

Kim made her way up the steps of the large convention hall in the center of Upperton State University. Once inside she took a deep breath and prepared to enjoy the University's annual Homecoming dance. It was her senior year, and she had yet to attend. Her friends had finally convinced her to come to this year's, though it wasn't something she was really looking forward to.

_She finally drank her pain away a little at a time _

You couldn't tell it by looking at her, but Kim Possible was quite drunk. Years of practice had allowed her to function normally while being completely intoxicated.

She leaned against the wall and looked out onto the dance floor. Scanning the faces, one caught her eye, and made her catch her breath. A messy blonde haired young man with bright shining brown eyes was waving her over.

"Ron...my God...Ron" Kim muttered to herself as she quickly made her way over the smiling face.

She threw her arms around the blonde man, who seemed a little surprised.

"Well I thought you looked lonely over there, but I had no idea", he said with a broad smile.

Kim pulled back and looked him in the face. Though his eyes were brown and his hair blonde, the similarities ended there.

With a hushed "I'm sorry", and a tear in her eye, Kim pushed past the confused man and ran out the door.

_But she never could get drunk enough to get him off her mind _

_Until the night... _

Kim burst into her apartment sobbing uncontrollably. Every time she thought she had moved past Ron's memory, something reminded her and brought it back as if it were yesterday.

She walked into her room and kneeled at the edge of her bed. Reaching underneath she slid a wooden footlocker out into the open. Her shaking hands eventually managed to slide the key into the lock and open the box.

She reached inside and pulled another bottle of whiskey from within. She had managed to hide her problem from everyone for years, even Monique who shared the apartment with Kim. Tonight she did not care who discovered her.

Taking a long swig from the bottle she finally stopped crying and calmed down a bit. She reached into the box again, and pulled a faded tear stained photograph out. Kim smiled sadly as she read Ron's final words on the back before she turned it over to look at the image on the front.

Had it really been that long ago, she wondered. Looking at their smiling faces, and the happiness that they displayed, she decided it was.

What was happiness now?

This bottle? No, there is no happiness, Kim thought as she examined the bottle of whiskey, before taking another long drink.

Before long the bottle was empty. Kim regarded the bottle for a moment, and then looked at the picture she still clutched in her other hand.

"Empty" she choked. "Empty"

With a final sob, Kim flung the bottle across the room, watching as it smashed into thousands of pieces on the wall.

For some reason the sight made her smile as she laid her head on the pillow, succumbing to years of loneliness.

_She put that bottle to her head and pulled the trigger _

_And finally drank away his memory _

_Life is short but this time it was bigger _

_Than the strength she had to get up off her knees _

_We found her with her face down in the pillow _

_Clinging to his picture for dear life _

The number of people at Kim Possible's funeral was staggering. The Possible and Stoppable families had gotten together and decided to bury Kim next to Ron. After the preacher spoke, Mr. Possible rose to speak to the crowd.

He was able to get the first few lines of his speech out before succumbing to the emotions ravaging his usual stoic personality. His wife helped him from the small podium, and they both paused at Kim and Ron's graves. Kneeling down Mr. Possible placed a single rose on each gravestone.

"She's with you again Ronald." He whispered. "Take care of her."

As he uttered the words, a cool breeze blew, rustling the long leaves of the willow tree that overlooked them.

Mr. Possible stood, and pulled his wife close to him. He allowed himself a small sad smile, for he knew his daughter was happy once more.

_We laid her next to him beneath the willow _

_While the angel's sang a whiskey lullaby _

Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed the story.

If anyone isn't familiar with the song it is called "Whiskey Lullaby" by Brad Paisley and Allison Kraus. It appears on Mr. Paisley's CD "Mud on the Tires"

Kim Possible and related characters are property of Disney.

The song "Whiskey Lullaby" is property of Brad Paisley and Arista Records.


End file.
